


lemonade liquor

by water_poet



Category: Pocket Monsters: Sun & Moon | Pokemon Sun & Moon Versions
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Alternate Universe - Age Changes, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Canon Dialogue, Enemies to Lovers, F/M, Hate Sex, Marriage Proposal, Non-Explicit Sex, Redemption, Universe Alteration, this was so much longer than intended
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-02
Updated: 2019-03-02
Packaged: 2019-11-08 02:34:32
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,678
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17972822
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/water_poet/pseuds/water_poet
Summary: Moon spends years remembering Guzma until they meet under an Alolan café umbrella on a hot day over a glass of lemonade.





	lemonade liquor

**Author's Note:**

> Guess who spoiled herself for her birthday and FINALLY bought Moon
> 
> Tbh it was a fuckin trip cuz I had to bring my dog. Thankfully the staff was cool with it so shout out to them
> 
> Very little actual in-game dialogue just FYI and lots of completely made-up scenes
> 
> Mix of SuMo and Ultra SuMo; mostly regular but where Guzma helps fight Nihilego!Lusamine
> 
> PLEASE NOTE THIS IS AN AU WHERE THE PLAYER IS AROUND 18 AT THE TIME OF THE GAME AND GUZMA IS AROUND 22-23

He's on her mind from the moment they meet on the bridge in Malie as the hot, blue Alolan heat crackles around her.  
  
She hates to admit it but there's something addictive about him. The way his voice hangs low and rough like the sunset on the sands, his wolfish grin, how he holds himself, slouching under his own height, all a fast-acting adrenaline drug that gets into her blood and stays, pounding along with the beating of her heart.  
  
"Ain't 'cha a bit _old_ to be a champion?" he drawls, the timbres of his voice making the hot Alolan air settle like foggy swamp mist over Moon's cheeks. She holds her head high and stands as tall as she dares, still a mite under Guzma's stature.  
  
"Maybe. Aren't you a bit _young_ to be gang leader?" she smirks.  
  
For a moment, like the sun flashing on the ripples of the water, he looks almost impressed in the way his mouth quirks and one of his eyebrows arches. The next moment, he's laughing, higher and more raucous than his speech, and Moon's heart skips a beat at the razor edge of insanity in her ears.  
  
"I like you, kid. Something tells me your boy Guzma's gonna enjoy havin' you around" he says, lips curling into another grin as he leans down even more to look Moon in the eye. He pulls a Pokéball from his bag and tosses it up casually, catching it again in hands that could envelope Moon's with ease. "But just to be sure, let's battle!"  
  
If she wasn't sure of that something in Guzma before, she was now. He fights like a wild Ursaring, visceral and raw and blazing with intensity. She wonders if this is how he is in all things, if this is how he thinks, how he loves, how he fucks.  
  
It's no easy battle, especially with those eyes watching her intently, but she pulls through.  
  
Guzma shrinks into himself and clutches at his hair, pale tufts carding in between the white-knuckled hands as he mutters through gritted teeth. His breath hisses in the air, too hot for even the Alolan afternoon.  
  
After what feels like a lifetime he straightens as much as he prefers and tucks his Pokéballs back into his jacket, flashing Moon another grin that makes her hot in a very different way.  
  
"Nice goin', princess. Don't get comfy on me, though. I'm expecting a rematch" he says, turning on his heel after one last lingering glance and lumbering off like a self-satisfied Abomasnow.  
  
Moon stands on the bridge long after he's gone, only half-listening to the water lapping the sun-faded posts and the Cutieflies humming through the honeysuckle growing by the riverbed, dripping and vibrant.  
  
She lets out a breath she didn't know she'd been holding and rests on the bridge railing, letting the sun glare down at her face, disapproving and concerned at the way her stomach is twisting in knots at the thought of _him_. She remembers his glances again and again as the sun sets over the water, bringing with it the cool caress of night.  
  
There's something about him, and she hates it and loves it all the same, even as she lies awake in a hotel room that night, admiring the silver streaks of moonlight across the faux marble floor.

* * *

The next time Moon meets him they're face to face and he's grinning down at her in a way that make sparks dance up and down her spine.  
  
They're in _his_ town now, playing by his rules.  
  
Guzma's town, Po Town, is a mess. It smells like wet grass and car exhaust. The shitty spray paint designs on the pavement run together in the pouring rain, neon colors marbling together under Moon's feet and staining her shoes.  
  
His entourage is like him, too, wild and brash, all too pleased to be in a category of their own design. They talk quickly and bluntly and she hears the rough edge of their boss in every syllable.  
  
Maybe, then, she's not _really_ surprised that they're in his town the first time they kiss. They've finished a battle and he's there, breathing hard and gritting his teeth even as she approaches, scented like rain and nectar and dripping on the carpet. She looks up at him, watching with surprise the way his gaze softens when it meets hers.  
  
"You need something else?" he asks, voice low and raw. "I already told you good job. Now get out"  
  
He doesn't mean it.  
  
Moon takes a step closer and his lips are on hers in a single, searing moment. It's breathless and rash and leaves a sour-sweet taste lingering between her teeth.  
  
He holds her face in his hands like a tiny bird egg, fragile and rare. There's something of respect in his touch, a fear that he might break the thing so willingly nestled into his embrace.  
  
Guzma's tongue presses against her mouth, hot and secret and desperate, and she parts her lips eagerly. He tastes like bitter medicine and honey lemon cough drops and the way the dirt smells in the sun.  
  
When they part her lips are swollen and damp. He runs a thumb across her lower lip, never breaking eye contact.  
  
Moon swallows hard.  
  
"Damn" Guzma whispers.  
  
Before Moon can respond, he kisses her once more, fleetingly gentle, and for the briefest moment she can just imagine something golden and distant.  
  
The next moment, he's gone, and she's standing alone in his room, dazed and flushed with rainwater still collecting on the carpet around her.

* * *

Only Hau notices the change in her at first.  
  
"You okay, Moon?" he asks. "You just seem a little spacey" he adds, not waiting for her to fully think about the question.  
  
Moon shrugs. "I'm alright. There's just a lot going on right now"  
  
Hau nods. "I know what you mean. Trying to become champion and fight Team Skull must be really tiring"  
  
His laughter is sympathetic and genuine, so he doesn't notice how forced hers is.  
  
"Yeah, I guess it is" Moon agrees.  
  
That night she lies awake again, staring up at the ceiling and trying not to think too loud.

* * *

She goes back without meaning to.  
  
She's in the area for a job, an entry for an Aether Technician back in Heahea, huddled under a raincoat as the tall, wet grass brushes cold against her skin.  
  
"What're you doin' back here, homie?"  
  
Moon turns to see a grunt, eyeliner streaked from the rain and skin stained with blue dye.  
  
"None of your business" Moon replies, already reaching into her bag for Primarina.  
  
The grunt stepped back, raising his hands in surrender.  
  
"Don't want no trouble, yo. You can take it up with Mr. Guzma" he says, turning on his heel and sprinting off towards the glorified fortress that used to be Po Town.  
  
Moon watches him go, and before she's quite certain what's happening she's standing in front of the entrance, clutching her bag and glaring at the guards.  
  
It's as if someone or something has possessed her, some inner, primitive voice that's now taking the reigns while the logical half of her brain watches in morbid fascination.  
  
"I'm here to see the boss" she says.  
  
One of the grunts raises an eyebrow. "You look familiar, yo. Do I know you?"  
  
The other guard jabs her in the side.  
  
"That's Moon, homie! The kid that kicked the boss' ass a couple days ago" he hisses.  
  
"I'm not a kid" Moon says, reaching for her team. "Now can I come in? Or do we have to do this the hard way?"  
  
Both guards back up, wordlessly giving their answer.  
  
With a confidence she doesn't have, Moon shoulders her bag and walks into Po Town, barely flinching when the familiar gasoline scent sears her nose.  
  
This time, the grunts aren't so keen to butt heads. They glare from under overhangs and mutter through the chattering rain but none of them approach her.  
  
Someone must have spread the word about her arrival because the mansion is empty and silent as death. As she climbs the stairs, she wonders half-heartedly if she's walking right into a trap, set up perfectly with a glance and a kiss and half a dozen vivid dreams that had left her shaking and breathless.  
  
There are no guards by Guzma's room this time, but the door is locked and a hastily scribbled "Do Not Disturb" sign is taped to the scratched wood.  
  
Moon knocks hesitantly.  
  
"Once wasn't enough, huh? You just had to come back and gloat?"  
  
She turns, Primarina's Pokeball out almost immediately, only to find Guzma standing in the hall, damp and frowning almost sadly.  
  
He walks past her and unlocks the door, flinging it open and bowing in mock ceremony to invite her in.  
  
Somehow it's even more trashed than last time. The remains of a glass bottle by the door crunch under her feet as she looks around warily. The bed is unmade and the Buginium Z is scattered about the floor as if someone had kicked the chest in a fit of anger and spilled them.  
  
Guzma doesn't seem to care, instead walking up to his throne and flopping down into it.  
  
"So, how can I help you, almighty and unbeatable champion? Come to make a fool of me again?" he asks, sneering down at her.  
  
Moon crosses her arms defensively. "I wouldn't have had to do that if you'd just given me the Yungoos"  
  
Guzma waves his hand to brush aside her comment. "Yeah, yeah. Is that all you came for? To brag? Or am I just too much to resist?"  
  
He says it with sarcasm dripping off his words, not even meeting her eyes, but Moon only remains silent until he looks at her again, eyebrows raised almost incredulously.  
  
"So - "  
  
"Not exactly" Moon protests, and suddenly she'd give anything to be back out in the wet grass with a useless coat and a bag half full of rainwater instead of here, under Guzma's piercing gaze.  
  
For a long, long moment, he only stares.  
  
Then he laughs, and there's something different. It's not so sharp as it was before, not so crazy. It's sad and bitter.  
  
He thinks she's mocking him.  
  
Moon sets her bag at the door and walks up until she's only a step below the throne. Guzma's laughter fades and she sees for a split second a flush in his cheeks as she bends only slightly to kiss him, far too simple and chaste.  
  
He reciprocates without so much as a breath, pulling her into him by her waist and letting her taste his intoxicating bittersweetness. Her legs slip and suddenly she's sitting in his lap, knees on either side of his hips and arms wrapped around his neck.  
  
Guzma tears himself away, and Moon almost whines until he slides his hands under her thighs and sets her delicately on the edge of the bed. As he goes to lock the door, she notices how the sheets smell, musty and sharp and vaguely sweet. She runs a hand across the surprisingly soft fabric and finds it cool to the touch.  
  
Suddenly he's towering over her again, grinning smugly as he puts a hand on either side of her and bends down to meet her eager lips.  
  
"Not quite the rematch I was thinking, but I'll take it" he says, breath hot against her mouth.  
  
Moon leans back against the sheets, letting him press into her neck, scraping his teeth along her collarbone as he does so.  
  
"So I was right, hm? You just couldn't stay away?" he purrs.  
  
Moon tries to say something clever back but Guzma presses a knee between her legs and her words are cut off with a pathetic moan.  
  
In the midst of everything, her hat and his jacket had ended up piled on the floor and he's leaning over her in only a tank top. For an embarrassing moment, Moon stares dumbfounded at his torso like a desperate preteen, running a hand from his shoulder to his wrist, letting her fingers linger in every divot and crevice. He watches her, almost fascinated, as if he hadn't expected such a response.  
  
She looks back up at him and he's on her in a moment, pressing her into the mattress as one hand slides up her top, warm against her slightly damp skin.  
  
"Gods, you're sensitive" Guzma hisses, dragging a finger across Moon's ribs. She only exhales sharply in response, squirming.  
  
She's not sure how much time passes like this, soft touches and hot breath and quiet gasps of pleasure. At some point it turns into bitten moans and heavy pants as the bed groans and Moon repeats the same name again and again through gritted teeth.  
  
"Not so high and mighty now, huh?" Guzma murmurs. "Not so _good_ "  
  
Moon kisses him to shut him up as he comes, groaning into her mouth as he does so.  
  
She's never seen him so soft looking before, cheeks flushed and entire face relaxed in contentment. She reaches up to stroke his jaw gently, and he meets her eyes and smiles.  
  
Moon tucks the smile away in the back of her mind, for the days and months and years ahead.  
  
Suddenly, he frowns.  
  
"You didn't - "  
  
Moon waves a hand, already trying to sit up. "Don't worry, it's - "  
  
Guzma stops her with a hand on her inner thigh. She looks up, wide-eyed, as he flashes another crooked grin.  
  
"Nuh-uh, sweetheart. Can't have you goin' round with stories ruining my reputation, now, can we?"

* * *

In the sleepy, sharp afterglow, she lies beside him for what feels like hours, curled against his chest while she lets him run his hand through her hair until she fully wakes to see him dressed and absorbed in his laptop.  
  
She stand, winces, and pulls on her clothes. Her bag sits by the door innocently, and as she picks it up she glances back at Guzma, who's pretending not to notice her.  
  
"Bye, Guzma" she says.  
  
He looks up.  
  
"See ya, Moon"  
  
After she shuts the door behind her, she can still hear him cursing at himself until she finally shoulders her bag and leaves, thankful the rain had finally let up.  
  
In hindsight, his response was better. It held a sort of promise in it that Moon's childish heart never really forgot.

* * *

They don't speak again until Aether. He's still pretending nothing happened, and she can't decide whether to be angry or understanding.  
  
"Why can't I beat you?" he growls, and Moon doesn't want to answer. She's not supposed to. Like he's so prone to doing, Guzma mutters the question to himself again and again.  
  
"Get out of here, Guzma. It's going to get ugly" she says.  
  
He sneers at her. "You don't get it, do you? Arceus, I always knew you were naïve but this is a whole other level"  
  
Moon folds her arms over her chest. "Explain, then"  
  
Before Guzma can respond, Lillie calls from the entrance to the building. Moon looks back, only to find Guzma smirking down at her.  
  
"Go find out for yourself, kid"  
  
She runs, angry.  
  
Still, it hurts more than she expected when he goes running into the portal after Lusamine. A soft cry of protest escapes from between her fingers pressed over her mouth, but it's swallowed up by the silent roar of the closing portal.

* * *

"I...we'll save him"  
  
The words slip traitorously from her mouth, even as she remembers him following the porcelain-faced megalomaniac through the wormhole like a lovesick puppy, and Plumeria arches an eyebrow.  
  
"He's awfully fond of Lusamine. Feels noticed by her" she says.  
  
Something angry stirs in Moon's gut, and maybe Lillie does know more than she'll admit because she steps forward with her new determination and nods.  
  
"My mother manipulates people who don't have anywhere else to turn" she says. "I'm sure Mr. Guzma will see reason"  
  
Plumeria snorts, and Moon almost joins her.  
  
"Good luck" she says.  
  
When they stop at a ledge near the third cave as the sun is starting to set, Lillie turns to her and frowns.  
  
"Are you alright, Moon? You've been quiet"  
  
She can't lie to Lillie like she lies to Hau, to herself. After all, Lillie has something of her mother's eyes, clear and strong and almost wise.  
  
"I'm worried"  
  
It's not untruthful, and Lillie nods with only a little hesitation.  
  
"I am, too. Even after everything, I love my mom. That's why I have to do this. You can't just give up on someone you love"  
  
She's looking out over the canyon as she speaks but her voice is aimed at Moon in its soft sternness.  
  
"I know" Moon says.  
  
She doesn't. She doesn't know most things. She doesn't know if Lillie is right, or if she loves Guzma, or if she's ready to jump into the complete unknown in hopes that he might love her back.

* * *

The sigh of relief that sweeps through her entire being when she sees him, bruised and sullen, crouched atop one of the bioluminescent masses yawning up from the otherworldly soil.  
  
"Where's my...where's Lusamine?" Lillie asks, clenching her fists.  
  
Guzma doesn't answer as he slides down from his perch. He doesn't even seem to hear. His eyes are far away and shaky, unaware, and Moon realizes he doesn't fully recognize either her or Lillie through the thick, oily darkness.

"They took me...took over my mind" he growls, pressing the heels of his palms into his temples, eyes darting back and forth in an unseen memory. Moon tries to approach, but Lillie holds her back.

"I'm not afraid. I can't be afraid. But this...I know what fear feels like" he continues, twitching slightly.

This time, Lillie's grasp on Moon's wrist slips away and she reaches out. Guzma knocks her hand away, glaring, teeth gritted and eyes wild.  
  
"Y'all are idiots!" he says, the echo swallowed up into Ultra Space.  
  
Moon reaches for his hand again, and he does not push her away. His skin is cold and damp, and she can feel him shaking.  
  
"Guzma! It's okay, it's me" she says softly.  
  
"We're here to help, Mr. Guzma" Lillie says, glancing down at the way Moon's clutching one of Guzma's hands.  
  
He softens for a moment at Moon's touch.  
  
"That woman...she's crazy. She's too far gone" he says, a warning and a threat all at once.  
  
"That doesn't change anything! I have to do this" Lillie insists, shouldering her backpack and turning away. "Come on, Moon"  
  
Guzma doesn't follow, but he watches, unreadable.  
  
Lusamine is indeed crazy. Moon and Lillie can only watch in horror as her body melds with one of the Nihilegos, her flesh and bones making sickening creaks as the two become trapped within each other. She turns her gaze on Moon.  
  
"You! You turned my child into an ugly little rebel. You're going to pay! My beautiful new world will have no place for a hideous stain like you!" she shrieks, brandishing an Ultra Ball with such force Moon half expects it to go flying off into the darkness.  
  
Suddenly, Lusamine is looming over her, cackling. Moon doubts she'll give her the courtesy of a proper battle. Even if she is so lucky, Lusamine would never let her live, regardless of the outcome.  
  
The stench hits her all too hard, chemical and rotten. She and Lillie both gag and stumble as Lusamine continues to approach, eyes wild as her pale face threatens to crack under the pressure of her maniacal grin.  
  
"Mother...please..." Lillie pleads, her voice only swallowed up into the Ultra Space.  
  
Moon retrieves Primarina. She knows it's pointless. She'd barely managed to best Lusamine before, and she's no doubt stronger with the power of the Ultra Beasts coursing through her, or, at the very least, madder.  
  
Moon wonders if this is how she's going to die. She can hear Lusamine laughing, Lillie whimpering, and the endless echo of the Ultra Space all around her. Her mind screams along with them. There's no escape. She's going to die.  
  
"You're not gonna touch her, Madam Pres"  
  
The voice breaks through all the sounds in Moon's head, all too welcome and familiar as Guzma strides up to her left side, for once serious and grim.  
  
Lusamine glances at Guzma before sneering back at Moon.  
  
"Seems you've a knack for warping those close to me into your personal little army" she says.  
  
When her gaze falls on Guzma, she shrieks with laughter.  
  
"What happened to the destructive boss of Team Skull? Here I thought you were tough" she mocks, her voice lilting and singsong, as if coddling a child. Guzma flinches, and Moon reaches for him. He shies away, never once breaking eye contact with Lusamine.  
  
"I might even have considered letting you be a part of my new world, grubby, crass little thing though you are. But if a pair of pretty eyes is all it takes to make you change your mind, then you really never belonged in the first place" she continues.  
  
Guzma glares.  
  
"Tsk. You sure talk a lotta nonsense, Lu" he says, retrieving Golisopod's ball. "Let's see you fight the same way"  
  
It's different this time. He's not so wild, not so careless. He hardly speaks, and Moon hates that in all the distant, impossible echoes of the Ultra Space she still can't understand what he's thinking. Even when they emerge victorious, breathing hard and standing close, his expression remains utterly indecipherable.  
  
Lusamine screams as the Nihilego finally rejects her, leaving its former host collapsed on the floor. Lillie rushes to her, and Moon can't make out their words but she hear's Lillie's laughter and knows everything is alright.  
  
She turns to Lunala, who's staring patiently.  
  
"Take us home, please" she says.

* * *

It's late morning when they return, blinking in the sun and suddenly very lightheaded.  
  
Hapu rushes forward, clasping one of Lillie's hands between hers. "Thank goodness you're all unharmed. Lillie, help me get your mother over to Mudsdale"  
  
Lillie nods, but turns to Lunala. A short conversation later and Nebby is safely tucked into Moon's bag as Lillie and Hapu begin to help a barely conscious Lusamine onto Mudsdale's back.  
  
Moon watches, only vaguely aware of Guzma's approach from where he'd been standing awkwardly in the shade of one of the fallen pillars. She remembers the look in his eyes when Lusamine insulted him, and doesn't say anything.  
  
"We don't make a half-bad team" he says, almost to himself.  
  
To her surprise, Moon smirks slyly at him.  
  
"I'd say we're even half-good" she teases.  
  
Guzma chuckles, exhausted.  
  
"Yeah, maybe" he agrees, reaching up to rub the back of his neck awkwardly. His other hand goes to fiddle with his Team Skull chain, the gold pendant still glaring childishly at nothing.  
  
"Look, Moon, I...I appreciate your coming for me...us. Almost makes me feel bad about my buddies pushing you around all the time" he chuckles, not meeting her eyes.  
  
She can tell he's never been one for apologizing, so she presses up onto her toes and cups his jaw, kissing him in front of everyone.  
  
To make matters worse, he kisses her back, hungry and desperate and sad as he pulls her closer and closer until she can hardly breathe, too caught up in him to notice.  
  
When she looks away, Hapu is tending to Mudsdale and Lusamine as she pretends not to notice while Lillie only smiles.  
  
Halfway down the canyon, Moon slips her hand into Guzma's. He doesn't react, but his face gets redder in the rising sun.

* * *

A few days after they've arrived at Hapu's house and begun their recoveries, Guzma vanishes.  
  
He'd made no sigh of discomfort. He ate the food Hapu and her mother provided, he helped out in the garden while Moon tended the berries, and sat with Meowth on the sofa when the nights got chilly.  
  
Nevertheless, he vanishes.  
  
He leaves no note or message of any kind. The only proof he's ever been there at all is in the large shoe scuffs on the dirt walkway.  
  
Moon refuses to cry, so she spends hours tending Hapu's garden until her legs ache and her skin burns and Hapu's mother drags her inside to rest.  
  
No one wants to talk about it. Moon can't blame them.  
  
So as soon as she's well enough, she packs her bag and leaves early in the morning to catch a ferry back to the city to continue her training.  
  
The rumors circulate quickly, so she keeps her head down and tries to avoid eye contact. Even when the champion title is bestowed on her, they avoid her. Maybe she'll always be an outsider in Alola, after everything is said and done. 

When she returns to Po Town armed with her new title, he's still nowhere to be found. His room is empty and the few grunts still loitering about don't offer any information.  
  
The Pokécenter is back up and running, at least. She corners a familiar grunt at one of the café tables.  
  
"What happened to the rest of Team Skull?" she demands.  
  
"Team Skull? We disbanded, yo...ma'am" the girl says, taking a swig of her soda and shrugging. "Most of us just hang out here cuz we got nowhere else to go"  
  
Moon sighs, leaning back in her seat.  
  
"No idea where the rest of them are" the girl continues. "Mr. Guzma's too smart to stick around and go to jail"  
  
"Why'd you follow him around, anyway?" Moon asks.  
  
"We were all alike. Nobody noticed us, and nobody cared. So we made something of ourselves. Wasn't a good something, but beggars sure as hell can't be choosers" the girl admits. "Now, can you leave me in peace to finish my soda? Please?"  
  
The please is an afterthought, but Moon obeys, stomach lurching angrily as she sees the former grunts avert their eyes as she passes.  
  
Using her new title, she has them all acquitted on the condition they renounce their former team and go home. Meanwhile, she opens a training program to help people of all ages work with Pokemon in every field. The program brings in kids and adults from all across Alola and even a rather awkward group of teens with neon colors not quite faded from their hair.  
  
She works tirelessly, building herself back up, piece by piece, desperately ignoring the impossibly tall hole in her heart.  
  
Kukui decides she's too restless and sends her to Unova with Lillie to collect new data from a friend of his. Her month turns to a summer which turns to two and a half years overseas. Even after Lillie's returned to Alola to co-lead Aether, Moon's still wandering, searching and waiting for something she couldn't quite pinpoint in the first place.  
  
Still, she's almost whole again. Almost.

* * *

She's sunburnt from a trip to Sinnoh and sitting alone at a Pokécenter café with a lemonade and a biscuit when everything comes crashing down.  
  
She doesn't look up when he approaches. Staring at her murky reflection in the lemonade, she assumes he's a challenger. But before she can issue her spiel, he speaks.  
  
"What's a pretty girl like you doing at a swanky place like this all alone?"  
  
Moon doesn't react for a long moment. She's just eighteen again, wide-eyed and half in love with an idiot.  
  
He's barely changed, she realizes. Same ill-fitted clothes, same wild hair, same tired, purple-rimmed eyes.  
  
He clears his throat. "Can I sit?"  
  
Moon blinks. "Yeah! Of course, go ahead"  
  
He does, and they stare at each other for a long, quiet moment.  
  
"You look good" Guzma says finally.  
  
"Thank you. You look...tired" Moon admits, immediately regretting her words when Guzma raises an eyebrow.  
  
Then, he laughs. It's still the same laugh, tired and weighted but good), and the years almost melt away as Moon joins him.  
  
"Are you hungry? My treat" she says, and he's shaking his head and looking away, trying to avoid the kindness in her eyes that he doesn't deserve.  
  
"Nah. It's...I'm good" he insists, so she buys him a sandwich and watches him relent and eat it in three bites.  
  
Suddenly she's angry. Three years later, after she'd built herself back up and pulled her life together, he shows up acting like nothing has changed, like they're old chums reuniting for lunch. The realization must show on her face because Guzma looks at her curiously.  
  
"What's - "  
  
"Where have you _been_?" Moon asks, louder and shriller than she meant. A couple at the Pokécenter counter shoot her a confused glare, unnoticed.  
  
Guzma blinks. "Everywhere" he says. "Crashed at my old man's for a while. Decided to make somethin' of myself. Took odd jobs here and there. Tried to challenge you a few times. But you were never here, were you?"  
  
His voice steeps into something bitter and Moon glares.  
  
"Maybe I'd have stayed if I'd had a reason to!" she hisses, standing abruptly and folding her arms in front of her chest.  
  
Her companion scoffs and follows suite, still towering over her as he leans closer.  
  
"Some of us don't get to take a vacation from our problems" he snaps, and Moon huffs and marches out of the Pokécenter.  
  
He knows she wants him to follow, so he does. It's warm outside, the air scented with flowers and grass. Cars drive by and people pass, too absorbed in their own task to pay anyone else any mind.  
  
"I left because I couldn't stand to stick around after you ditched me!" Moon says, her voice cracking.  
  
"I've spent three years regretting that and roaming across this damned region like a hobo trying to find you and tell you - "  
  
He cuts himself off and Moon feels the familiar ache in her chest from their first meeting back in Malie, when she met his eyes for the first time and felt the hot sharpness pierce her heart like a needle.  
  
She swallows the angry lump in her throat.  
  
"Tell me what?" she asks.  
  
Guzma doesn't answer for a long moment.  
  
"I'm sorry" he says.  
  
It's not what he meant to say, and they both know it. But Moon's tired of the pain in her heart, tired of the omnipresent emptiness that stings her lungs and throat when she breathes, so she takes Guzma's hand.  
  
"It's okay" she replies.  
  
It's isn't, but she means it all the same. Guzma's smile is tired as he reaches out to touch her cheek, very gently. He's hesitant, lips pressed in a tight line but eyes asking, pleading.  
  
They walk in contented quiet along the coast, laughing softly as the sun-dappled waves swirl and foam about their feet. Moon knows that come the next day, the tabloids with be full of rumors and accusations, but for now she lets her hand rest in Guzma's in bittersweet, familiar comfort.  
  
"What was it like?"  
  
His voice matches the wane of the waves, distant and earnest.  
  
"What?"  
  
"Unova. Sinnoh. Everywhere"  
  
Moon thinks.  
  
"I'm not sure. I didn't pay enough attention" she half-realizes.  
  
"You should go back, then. Do some more training or whatever" Guzma says, kicking at the damp sand and watching the water smooth out the dent.  
  
Moon can't answer. She won't make a promise she can't keep, especially now when her biggest is standing beside her, golden in the sunset.  
  
"Maybe if you come with" she says. "Lots of weird bug types out there"  
  
Guzma laughs again.  
  
"I'll consider it" he agrees, letting out a long sigh and sitting in the sand. Moon joins him, only slightly preoccupied with the sand that starts clinging to her skin and clothes.  
  
"I was so angry, y'know?" Guzma says. "Not at you. I wanted to be. Fuck, I tried so hard to convince myself it was all you. Course, I had to face the truth eventually"  
  
"It wasn't your fault, either" Moon says. "It was Lusamine's. She manipulated you and - "  
  
"How is she?" Guzma interrupts, shifting in the sand. Moon realizes he's not looking for comfort or affirmation. He just wants to talk to somebody, _anybody._  
  
She doesn't know if she should feel flattered or irritated.  
  
"She's alright. Mostly recovered by now. She's retired, lives by the beach in Akala, I think. Lillie and Gladion run Aether now" she says.  
  
"That's good" Guzma replies distractedly. Moon wonders what answer he was hoping for.  
  
The last rays of sun are stretching out over the water now, the salty waves just barely lapping at Guzma's toes. The beach is long since empty, footprints washed away by the coming tide.  
  
Moon doesn't look at Guzma for a long moment as she watches the sliver of sun disappear over the horizon, leaving the sky dusted in lavender and blue.  
  
When she turns back to Guzma, she realizes he'd been watching her, not letting his expression give away his feelings.  
  
"We should head back to the city before the tide comes in" she says, voice sharp through the silence.  
  
"Where are you staying?"  
  
Guzma shrugs. "Wherever I can get a cot"  
  
Moon stands, not bothering to offer a hand to Guzma. She knows he'd pull her right back down despite their best efforts.  
  
"My place, then. My mom's in Kanto. She won't mind" Moon says.  
  
Guzma looks like he wants to protest, but the year have taken their toll so he nods and heaves to his feet, letting Moon lead him back through the city, along the winding dirt roads of the Hau'oli outskirts, and finally to her home, clean and homely with flowers planted out front and a worn welcome mat with the words rubbed out.  
  
Moon unlocks the door and holds it open, allowing Guzma in.  
  
"Welcome home" she jokes, tossing her keys onto a table as she bends down to greet a purring Meowth.

* * *

It's not a surprise when they end up in bed together.  
  
She weakly tries to insist she take the couch, which Guzma outright refuses. Within an hour of settling in, backs facing and desperately chasing sleep, they're tangled together, kissing breathlessly, desperately.  
  
He _loves_ her, and the years of lost time fade away like dewdrops in the summer sun. She can't get enough of him, and he seems all too pleased to indulge her.  
  
"Moon...fuck" he hisses as she sucks a bruise into his inner thigh before taking him into her mouth, clumsy and overeager.  
  
She bites her lips until it bleeds to keep from screaming when she comes onto his tongue. He kisses her, letting her taste the way they melt together, hard and sweet like lemon-drop candy tingling as it dissolves on her tongue.  
  
They fall asleep tucked into each other, content.

* * *

The morning breaks with Umbreon wetly nosing Moon's face as the mid morning sun seeps through the blinds and into her eyes.  
  
She goes to sit up but is stopped by an arm around her middle and Umbreon stares in confusion as she begins to laugh softly.  
  
Her laughter wakes Guzma, whom Umbreon instinctively growls at, the fine fur along his back bristling angrily.  
  
"Whoa, shit. Calm down, big fella" he says. Moon calms the creature and he sits, still staring suspiciously at Guzma, who takes a minute to assess his surroundings. When he finally meets Moon's expectant gaze, he's silent for several moments.  
  
"I'm sorry"  
  
Moon lunges forward to kiss him, trying to smother the self hatred still smoldering in his chest. He stiffens at first, but eventually reciprocates, hesitant.  
  
"Please don't say sorry. You make me feel like _I've_ done something wrong" Moon jokes, feeling pleased as Guzma laughs, still cold and distant in the warm morning sun.  
  
She reaches out to touch his face, finger like flower petals blown on the spring wind.  
  
"I thought you'd be gone" Moon admits, half to herself.  
  
Guzma smiles softly and he looks like a different person for a long, warm moment.  
  
"Nah" he says, and Moon expects nothing more.  
  
She climbs out of the bed, sore, and Guzma follows. Her Pokemon are waking up, stretching and greeting the pair suspiciously. Moon consoles them, assuring them the intruder is welcome.  
  
They do not seem to believe her, but they obey. Guzma wonders if Moon even believes herself.  
  
When he sits awkwardly on the couch and she joins him, sitting close but silent, hair still wet from a midnight shower, merely seeking his company, he realizes she does.

* * *

Moon's mother extends her stay another few weeks after a cousin falls ill.  
  
Guzma stays.  
  
He wanders about Melemele, avoiding the city, trudging dead patches into the grass.  
  
Challengers come to Moon. He usually sticks around for the battles, laughing off questions and accusations until one morning the kid's a bug-type and he can't anymore.  
  
Moon finds him sitting on the edge of an overhang, Golisopod curled up in the sun nearby.  
  
He doesn't have to explain. She already knows.  
  
"Did he win?" Guzma asks uselessly.  
  
Moon doesn't answer for a while, only running a hand thoughtfully along Golisopod's sun-warmed scales as she stares out at the ocean, watching a group of Luvdiscs splashing about near the shoreline.  
  
When she finally looks back at Guzma, his eyes are pleading and sad. She reaches up to brush her lips against his and he reacts immediately, pulling her into his lap, his bitter citrus mingling with her sugar sweet, cool and relieving in the heat of the summer sunset.  
  
Moon's breath is hot against his lips when they part, and she smiles lazily through doe lashes.  
  
"I think he did" she says.

* * *

A year, a beachside house in Ula'Ula, and several dozen refuted tabloids later, Nanu passes in his sleep with his Persian at his side.  
  
The ceremonies last for nearly two weeks, with long nights and roaring fires and songs to the gods about life and death and everything in between.  
  
When the sun rises on the twelfth day, the tapu does not choose a new Kahuna. The days turn to weeks and the island remains, incomplete.  
  
Guzma is restless. He tosses and turns in his sleep and spends hours in the meadow, watching the Spinaraks skirt timidly between the tufts of grass.  
  
Almost a month after the ceremonial fire had been extinguished, Moon wakes to find him gone.  
  
She knows she shouldn't worry, but her trust is still fragile and she wonders if he's gone again, alone with his thoughts to destroy him.  
  
Then she remembers.  
  
He's waiting at the base of the mountain when she arrives panting, barefoot, and flustered. There's an air of solemnity about him, staring at the Z-Stone in his hand in awe, and for the briefest moment Moon almost doesn't recognize him.  
  
Then the spell is over as he slouches back into himself and smiles crookedly. "Hey, Moon"  
  
She laughs, loud and wild in the dewy sunrise and embraces him, feeling him smile against her lips.  
  
"Do I get to say I told you so?" she asks.  
  
Guzma laughs as he sticks his hands into his pockets, and for the first time in all these years it's unburdened and soft.  
  
"If you really wanna, sweetheart"

* * *

They're back in Malie for the summer, sitting on the bridge by the lake where it all began, a dozen seasons before.  
  
"We should get married" Guzma says, not taking his eyes off a small school of Barboaches swimming near the bank as his voice shimmers in the heat.  
  
Moon tilts her head at him. "That's a terribly unromantic proposal"  
  
Guzma shrugs, leaning back against the bridge railing before smirking playfully at Moon. "That's not a no"  
  
A group of kids across the way pauses their game of soccer to stare curiously when they hear Moon's false gasp and see her jovially shove Guzma to the side while they both laugh like schoolgirls.  
  
The silence that follows is warm, the summer air settling over their forms like a thin blanket. Even now, her feet swing distant above the water with barely a ripple while his sit in the shallows, golden in the Alolan sun.

**Author's Note:**

> God I love my boi
> 
> PS yes there’s an Olivia Gatwood reference if you got it


End file.
